Attachment for locomotives.



0. E. WEST. ATTACHMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented July 13, 1909.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1908.

Patented July 13, 1909.

ZBHEETB-SHEBT 2.

GHARLES ERNEST WEST, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

ATTACHMENT FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Application filed November 24, 1908. Serial No. 464,266.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. l/Vns'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Locomotives to Save Fuel in the Operation of the Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to new and useful improvements in fuel saving devices used in the operation of steam engines, and is to be known as Wests automatic steam injector The object of my invention is to catch the steam when it exhausts from the cylinders of the engine proper, cause it to be conducted into my device and thereby forced to return to the boiler of said engine.

I do not claim to increase the poweror speed of a steam engine, but my invent-ion resides only in the ability of replacing the steam after being once used, back into the boiler, thus making it unnecessary to heat a sufiicient amount of water from normal temperature, which would be necessary to replace, after heated to the boiling point and transformed into steam, that amount of steam which would be exhausted at each stroke of the piston of the steam engine. Thus it will be readily discerned: a lesser amount of fuel will be necessary to keep that amount of water at the boiling point, necessary to maintain the same speed and exert the same power as though my invention were not used.

Another advantage my invention has is that it makes it possible for an engine to make a longer run without stopping to take on fuel or water.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists of the novel construction and arrangement of parts that are hereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

It is pointed out that the drawings illustrate only one side of a steam engine, but however, both sides are similar.

Referring to the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a steam engine, showing my device in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of my invention and of one of the cylinders of said steam engine, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing a portion of the boiler in section. Fig. 4t is a vertical sectional view of one of the cylinders of my device taken on the line A 1 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings,imy invention is described as follows The boiler 1, has secured thereto by substantial means the usual cylinder 2, of any well known design. Said cylinder is fed from the boiler by means of the pipe 8. Working in said cylinder is the usual piston head 4, which operates the piston rod 5, secured to the cross-head 6, working between the guides 6 Connected to said cross-head 6, by means of a pin 7, passing through said cross-head and the elongated perforation 8, affording a sliding connection, is a lever arm 9, which is in turn pivotally connected to said boiler, near its center by means of the solid bearing 10. The other end of said lever 9, is bifurcated forming the prongs 11, which extend through the openings 12, in the cross-head 13, forming a part of the piston rod 14, to the forward end of which is secured the piston head 15, and to the rear end of which is secured the piston head 16, of the cylinders 17 and 18, respectively. Said cylinders 17 and 18, are secured to the outer periphery of the boiler l, by suitable fastening means, and communicate therewith by means of the check valves 19 and 20, respectively. A pipe 21, extending from the exhaust 22, communicates with said cylinder 17, by means of the opening 23. A pipe 2 1, communicating with said pipe 21, connects with said cylinder 18, by means of the opening 25. When said piston head 15, is moving to the left or piston head 16, to the right, then the gate valves 26 and 27, are held in closed position on account of the pressure of the steam exerted upon them. Corresponding openings 28, are cut in the boiler, the same registering with the openings 29 and 30, cut in the inner side walls of said cylinders 17 and 18, to accommodate the check valves 19 and 20, respectively.

It will be observed that when the upper end of the lever 9, moves to the right the piston head 4, is making a forward stroke, thus the piston heads 15 and 16, are making a rearward stroke, the exhaust steam from the forward portion of the cylinder 2, passing through the pipe 21, into the cylinder 17. The steam in the cylinder 18, is forced through the check valve 20, into the boiler 1. \Vhen the piston head 4, is making a rearward stroke, the reverse action takes place, that is the steam passes from the exhaust 22, through the pipe 21, then through the pipe 24:, into the cylinder 18. The cylinder heads 15 and 16, are of course moving at the same time to the left, allowing the steam from pipe 24, to pass into said cylinder 18, the steam in cylinder 17, being forced through the check valve 19, into said boiler.

Although I have specifically described my invention, I may exercise the right to make such modifications in the general form of the arrangen'ient and construction of my invention as do not depart from the spirit of the claims hereunto appended, and which will be obviously necessary in the manufacture thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described, an engine, a boiler, two corresponding cylinders secured thereto, a pipe leading from the exhaust of the cylinder of said engine to the outer end of the foremost of said corresponding cylinders, a pipe communicating with said first-mentioned pipe and extending rearwardly, then upwardly, communicating with the outer end of the rearmost of said corresponding cylinders, piston heads, one working in each of said corresponding cylinders and being connected together, the usual cross-head provided for the cylinder of said engine, means to operate the piston heads from said cross-head, means to prevent steam from escaping from said corresponding cylinders and means of communication between the corresponding cylinders and the boiler of said engine, substantially as shown.

2. In a device of the character described, a boiler, two corresponding cylinders each of which is provided with a piston head secured thereto, said piston heads being connected together by means of a piston rod, said piston rod being provided with a crosshead at its center, said cylinders each provided with an opening at its outer end for the admittance of steam, means preventing its escape after admittance, means to transmit power to the cross-head of said piston rod, means of communication between said cylinders and the boiler consisting of registering openings in the walls of said boiler and that portion of each cylinder contacting the peripherical surface of said boiler, means consisting of check valves preventing the passage of steam through said registering openings intosaid cylinders, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, an engine and a boiler, two corresponding cylinders secured to the latter thereof, a pipe leading from the exhaust of the cylinder of said engine to the outer end of the foremost of said corresponding cylinders, a pipe communicating with said first-mentioned pipe andextending in such a manner as to communicate with the rear end of the rearmost of said corresponding cylinders, piston heads, one working in each of said corresponding cylinders and being connected together by a piston rod, means consisting of a lever fulcrumed to the boiler of said engine to reciprocate the piston rod of the corresponding piston heads, means consisting of gate valves to prevent the escape of steam from said corresponding cylinders into the pipes of communication and means of communication between said cylinders and the boiler of said engine, substantially as de scribed.

4:. In a device of the character described, an engine and a boiler, two corresponding cylinders secured to the latter thereof, a pipe leading from the exhaust of the cylinder of said engine to the outer end of the foremost of said corresponding cylinders and communicating therewith, a pipe communieating with said first-mentioned pipe and extending in such a manner as to adapt it to communicate with the rear end of the rearmost of said corresponding cylinders, piston heads, one working in each of said corresponding cylinders and being connected together by a piston rod, means to transmit power to reciprocate the piston rod of the corresponding piston heads, said means consisting of a lever fulcrumed near its center to the outer periphery of said boiler, its upper end being bifurcated adapting it to engage the cross-head of the piston rod which connects together the piston heads of said corresponding cylinders, its lower end being slotted adapting it to loosely engage the cross-head of the piston which is connected to the piston head of said first-mentioned cylinder, means to prevent the backing of said steam from said corresponding cylinders once it enters, and regulated means of communication between each of said corresponding cylinders and the boiler of said engine, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES ERNEST WVEST.

WVitnesses:

IV. B. SMITH, E. R. CHAMBERS. 

